Why Credit Style believe learning never ends

WHY CREDIT STYLE BELIEVE LEARNING NEVER ENDS

In the next chapter of our ongoing blog series, we hear from members of staff at Credit Style at different stages of their careers, considering the different educational opportunities available and how these impact the goals of individual personalities.

At Credit Style, we take great pride in offering continuous professional development and opportunities to learn new skills, regardless of how long an employee has been with us or the current stage of their career. We recently ran feedback surveys with our latest members of temp staff to ascertain how new employees felt about our approach and we were delighted to see that we scored 4.5 out of 5 for how positive the experience working with us had been and that 90% would recommend working with us to friends in future.

In recent times, Credit Style has directly looked to weave educational progression into our approach and this has included offering apprenticeships and internships to students in the local region. Below, Alex Sisman, who completed his internship with Credit Style this year, shares his experience.

Over to Alex…

“I found out about an internship with Credit Style after Sheffield Hallam University introduced me to an app called handshake. I was looking for some practical experience to help with my career progression after university and was keen for this to be in accounting. When I saw the Credit Style opportunity offered an insight into bookkeeping and accounting, I found it very appealing, especially after looking at the types of work I would be doing in the job description.

My first impression was a very friendly workplace and it was easy to settle into. I had a lot of help and support as soon as I began. My favourite part was learning how to use the accounting software Sage 50 and 200 and how much time Gareth and Keeley spent training me on how to complete different tasks. I also learnt a lot of professional office space skills, such as writing emails and elevating my excel and Office package skills. I didn’t quite realise how much hybrid working between remote and in-office workers there would be!

I am still looking at a career in finance and I am currently looking into different graduate schemes on offer. My advice to someone considering an internship at Credit Style would be to ask as many questions as possible to help understand the work they’re doing and the wider business as a whole. I would also recommend taking notes of different processes/tasks to help you keep track of what you are doing and how to do it, so you can go back and reference it in case you need a refresher on how to do something.”

Whilst Credit Style is always keen to welcome fresh talent into the business, it is also very important that we retain our high performers. We do this by ensuring a career with our business is challenging, progressive and enjoyable. By offering opportunities to develop, train and learn, our ambition is for no member of staff to feel they must move on to enhance their career. For example, Ryan Collins, Collections Manager, first joined Credit Style in the Summer of 2007 and recently completed a funded course. He shares his experience below.

Over to Ryan…

“Over the past 14 years, I have learnt that persistence and hard work pays off. Credit Style is my extended family, and by that, I mean that the business has always looked after me, supported me and pushed me to succeed. There have been many changes in the business and industry as a whole and we have all learnt to adapt and strive to not only be the best but help others be the best they can be too.

Despite being well-versed in the industry, you never stop learning and Credit Style see the value in ensuring employees have up to date knowledge related to their field of expertise. I recently completed an ILM Level 3, run by Acumen Coaching/ T2 group. The course took 2 years to complete and one of the main things I took away from this was being self-aware. I have learnt the importance of being in-tune with what is happening around me and my team, as well as how I am perceived by others, as self-awareness is key to morale. I have also discovered the importance of planning and time management, refocusing my diary to make sure that all tasks are completed efficiently. Project development and project planning were also a big part of this course, which has helped me no end in projects I have subsequently taken on in my efforts to improve business.

My goal is to make the collections team the best it can be, by working hard and taking on board suggestions from those on 'the front line' to help the team better their performance. I still strive to be the best I can be personally, and I will take stock and see what the future at Credit Style holds for me. I will always take my lead from my Operations Manager Chris, who has been an inspiration throughout my career.”

Are you interested in progressing your career through our business? Visit our dedicated Careers page to see our current vacancies and apply today.